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Unlike their parents when young, most kids have replaced the playground with watching TV all day long. The offer for educational entertainment and cartoons is extremely varied, but, unfortunately, infants can be also exposed to programs and shows involving sex, drugs, violence and F-words. In order to avoid this negative exposure, you should establish some TV rules for your kids.

Set up boundaries and rules for watching TV as soon as possible, because the older your kids get, the less you can control their choices and social interactions. On one hand, the American Academy of Pediatrics advice parents to let their children watch TV for one or two hours per day. On the other hand, other specialists recommend to reflect on the role TV has in your kid`s life and to exploit this influence for educational purposes.

If you want to prevent your kid from asking all the gadgets that he sees on TV, keep the shows commercial free. There are prerecord programs with no commercials, but you can also buy educational and entertainment DVD specially designs for children.

Shows differ according to the age of the child. For little kids there are “Olivia”, “Sesame Street” and “Barney & Friends”, while the older ones are given “WorldGirl”, “Bill Nye the Science Guy” and “Beakman’s World”. Keep in mind that children try to imitate what they see and this rule apples also with the programs and characters they see on TV.

You should also program your kid`s viewing time. Block questionable content using a V-chip, as it is not advisable for your children to see shows where conflicts are solved through violence. Select programs and viewing times in advance, making watching TV part of a certain rhythm.

If nothing seems to work, hide the remote or place it where kids cannot reach it. You can also make an agreement with them. For example, if they fulfill some task, they get to watch TV.

Still, the best thing you can do is transform the watching TV experience is something interactive for the whole family. Try to watch TV with your kids, discuss with them about the plot of the show or invent other characters and stories.